Artisanal knowledge

Prato Excellence:Great flavours

Great flavours

Artisanal knowledge

Carmignano wine

A long history dating back to Etruscan times

Wine was already being produced in Carmignano in Etruscan and Roman times, as evidenced by the finding of wine vases in some Etruscan tombs and by Caesar granting his veterans lands between the Arno and Ombrone rivers, already cultivated with vineyards, between 50 and 60 BC. Over the centuries, the quality of Carmignano wine has always been highly appreciated: the famous Prato merchant Francesco di Marco Datini at the end of the 14th century was buying Carmignano wine at a high price for his cellar in Prato, and in 1600 the poet Francesco Redi celebrated it in his opera "Bacco in Toscana", calling it a wine worthy of Jupiter. In addition, the Carmignano production area was chosen by the Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici, in 1716, as one of the 4 wine growing areas of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The "Motu Proprio Decree" and the "Announcement" regulated through specific rules the production, geographical boundaries and selling of the wines produced in these areas, thus representing the first "DOC" in the world.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the cellars of Marquis Niccolini's estate produced and exported Carmignano wine. In recent years, Carmignano wine has seen a significant increase in both quality and quantity. In the early 1990s there were a little more than 100 hectares cultivated as vineyards - practically the same as at the time of Cosimo III de' Medici - while in 2015, according to the data provided by ARTEA and processed by Regione Toscana, based on the statements about grape harvest and wine production presented on 15 January 2015, production was much higher and highly appreciated on foreign markets.

People wishing to taste or buy Carmignano wine can do so by contacting the member companies of the Consortium or the information and sale point for typical products of the province managed by Strada dei vini di Carmignano e dei sapori tipici pratesi in Prato, Via Ricasoli 13.